转包 (zhuǎn bāo) — to subcontract (a project to another party)

Definition

转包 means to hand off an already-accepted contract or project to a third party. Often carries a negative connotation of unauthorized or evasive subcontracting.

verb
to subcontract (a project to another party)

Examples

  • 转包。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī bǎ gōng chéng zhuǎn bāo gěi le xiǎo gōng chǎng.
    This company subcontracted the project to a small factory.
  • 转包。
    Zhèng fǔ jìn zhǐ wèi jīng pī zhǔn de zhuǎn bāo xíng wéi.
    The government prohibits unauthorized subcontracting.
  • 转包。
    Tā men dǎ suàn bǎ bù fen hé tong zhuǎn bāo chū qù.
    They plan to subcontract part of the contract.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

转zhuǎntransfer
包bāocontract

转包 transfers a 包, a contracted job, to another party.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 轉; 转 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcarriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān轉zhuǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 轉 combines 車, a carriage, with 專 as a sound part; the simplified 转 is a later shorthand.

Open 转 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 包 pictures a fetus in a womb, or a baby wrapped in cloth.

Open 包 →

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